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The Two Koreas jagged, riff-heavy rock samples from the glory decades in music’s recent past, with nods to ‘60s garage beat, ‘70s British punk, ‘80s post-punk, and ‘90s alternative rock, a sound the band labels “glacial garage”. The Toronto band’s 2007 sophomore effort Altruists tore it up on Canadian radio and earned the group some early blog buzz. The haven’t lost a step in the past four years as they are about to unleash their latest, Science Island on 1 March. “Midnight Brown” is a frenetic tune bursting at the seams with both energy and instant catchiness. It reverberates in the head long after the last notes have sounded, creating a lasting impression in a crowded musical world stocked with ephemeral moments.

Paul Thorn survived being in the ring with boxer Roberto “Hands of Steel” Duran. As impressive as that is, he also endured a poor Tupelo, Mississippi upbringing as the son of a Church of God Pentecostal minister without becoming bitter or mean. Thorn’s no Pollyanna. He understands that life can be rough. He professes to still be friends with his daddy, not to mention his uncle—a former pimp. Thorn could whoop your ass and sing about it, but mostly he’d rather make your life better. I can personally testify to that. A few years ago, I was in a dark place. I was feeling depressed and mean, drinking my shots and beers hard when Thorn hit the stage. By the third song, I had got my butt off the stool and was dancing along with the rest of the crowd with a smile on my face. This was the song that did it. If you are feeling low, I hope it lifts your spirits as it did mine.

San Francisco-based producer Al Lover has honored the late great Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart) with Safe as Milk Replica, a “distorted reworking” of the art-rock sage’s 1967 debut album Safe as Milk. On the project, Al Lover’s deconstructs Beefheart’s cacophonic blues with a MPC sampler to concoct, as he puts it, “fuzzed out psychedelic boom-bap shit”.

A mere three weeks after announcing a show at Radio City Music Hall, Explosions in the Sky have released details about their forthcoming record, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. The album’s tracklist is available on the band’s website, and their new teaser video is embedded below.

As an unabashed EITS fan, I can’t help but find the album’s title a little troublesome. Is this a farewell record? I suppose only time will tell. In the meantime, we can all marvel at Munaf Rayani’s nasty jumpshot and ponder weather or not he’s gunning for Dirk Nowitzki’s job.